Chapter 4

Far from the city walls, in the midst of a tall forest, the newly formed found family setup a picnic blanket.

"Vivienne, are you sure about this location? Wouldn't it be better to do this somewhere without trees blocking our sight?"

The Wyvern scoffed. "C'mon, Adie, I'm sure I'll be able to fend off whichever one of my compatriots show up, if they don't get scared off by my mere presence. Very few are the species who can fight a Wyvern. Granted, I would be stronger in my original body, so that list is probably longer than usual, but what are the chances?"

Seung-yeon's ears twitched. "You mean to say some monsters are strong enough to contend with Wyverns?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yup. Kumihos are very scary, but luckily I can fly. Same goes for..." Vivienne shuddered, "... Slime Bunnies."

Adelheid burst out laughing. "You mean to tell me the big bad Wyvern is afraid of a lil' ball of slime?"

"They are possibly the most dangerous species from my planet. If a single one attaches to you, either you manage to burn it off with a fire or the Sun's heat, or you're dead. I'd say they hunt in packs, but that's not accurate. You know how multiple mushrooms are actually a single one connected by roots? Slime Bunnies are the same, but wireless. A single, tiny bunny can multiply into an army in an instant, all connected somehow, it's not like they're communicating, it's like they're the same brain with multiple bodies. The slime they're made of slowly dissolves anything it's in contact with. I saw it happen once. Only once. I then decided I'd never even dare to fly close to their swamps ever again."

Seung-yeon started shaking a little before clinging onto Adelheid. "Viv, you're scaring her."

"Sorry... Uh, what else is there... Well Basilisks are scary, but they look hilarious. Very hard to take a killing machine seriously when it's got the head of a chicken. There's actually quite a few more, but since I'd rather not rehash all of my trauma, I'll end it on a good one: the Cowl. Imagine a big, fluffy cat, truly enormous, but with the head and the wings of a barn owl- the ears are still cat-like though. You'd think they're innocuous, but they're the deadliest assassins nature has ever produced. Fast, nimble, silent, and capable of ripping heads off with a single bite. Lucky for me, every formidable species on my planet knows to not cross into the territories of the others. Think of it almost as nations, but with biomes. Wyverns stayed on the high up mountains, Basilisks in the desert, Kumihos in forests - more sparse than these ones, - Slime Bunnies, as I said, in swamps so that they can stay always wet, Cowls in marshes, yada yada..."

Seung-yeon smiled wide. "Maybe you should study biology, mom- I mean, Vivienne! I-I-I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

A soft smile formed on Vivienne's face as her cheeks turned red. She put her hand in front of her mouthand chuckled a bit. "Mhh? Does this make Adelheid my wife?"

Adelheid's face turned into a tomato. "Viv!"

"What? You wouldn't like that?"

As the faces of everyone turned redder and redder, rustling suddenly came from the trees. Immediately Vivienne faced the source of the noise, while the other two took a bit longer to grasp the situation. Yellow feline eyes observed the group from far above, trying to determine the best course of action. After a thoughtful evaluation, the best course of action would be to run away in 5 minutes ago. However, before any such move could be employed, Vivienne had already struck the tree that the creature had perched on, causing it fall, before Vivienne caught it. It was a girl, seemingly a bit younger than Seung-yeon. Her hair was a sort of blonde hazel, with two fluffy cat-like ears protruding from it. She seemed to not be wearing any clothes, however she had huge wings that she wrapped around her body, covering the most sensitive parts. Upon opening her eyes and realizing she had just been saved by her chosen prey, the girl blushed a bit before immediately assuming a battle stance, standing on all fours, wings spread wide, tail straight up, switching between hissing and carefully studying her opponent. Seung-yeon's face turned extremely red at the sight of the girl's... posterior, but luckily Adelheid saved the day by covering it with the picnic blanket. Without skipping a beat, Vivienne used it to wrap the girl tight so that she couldn't run away.

"And who might this little indecent rascal be?" Adelheid chuckled, looking the girl up and down.

After a few hisses, she calmed down, and began gnawing on the blanket. "Yvette Murtas. That girl is pretty. Since I told you my name can I have her?" She said casually, staring at Seung-yeon.

"H-h-have me?" The Kumiho replied, dizzy.

"Yes, to breed."

"B-but we're both girls! And that's n-not-" Seung-yeon began stumbling upon her own words.

"First off, you need to put on some clothes, second off, you need to tell us where your parents are, third off... No, that's it, you can have Seung-yeon after that." Vivienne replied, with a joking yet stern tone.

"I don't have any, and I don't have any. Now give me girl."

"I'm loading her in the car, Adie. Seung-yeon, make sure she doesn't unwrap from the blanket. We'll get her some clothes once home."

"Vivienne, I'm not rich..."

"Let's see, we have an experienced hunter, a Wyvern, a Kumiho, and a Cowl. I think your monthly salary might skyrocket a bit, as long as we take good hunts."

Everyone gets into the car, and Vivienne places Yvette on Seung-yeon's lap. "Just pet her head or something, I'm sure she'll play nice."

Once home, a mysterious figure in a black suit is standing in front of the entrance door, blocking the way. "A word, miss Nuage?"

As the rest of the girls got into the apartment, Vivienne and the man held a conversation in private.

"Miss Nuage, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Alan Wright, I've been sent here by the Committee of the Hunter Corp. to discuss... recent events."

Vivienne's stance changed to a more composed one. "Uhuh..."

"I'll cut to the chase. The parents of the young girl you 'rescued' were planning some less than ideal legal action against you. The Committee has been keeping a close eye on you however, and after some... bargaining, we've managed to strike a deal with the family. You and your 'family' will need to relocate to a different neighbourhood. A hybrid neighbourhood."

"I don't even own the place. How am I supposed to tell Adelheid that now we have to move elsewhere?"

"Miss Nuage. you are being granted a level of leniency that any other human, much less any other hybrid, would be granted. This is because the Committee has deemed you a valuable asset. Just a decade ago, hybrids would get lynched for... much, much less. Listen, miss Nuage. From a personal standpoint, I can't deny I side with you. Maybe thanks to you, stories like the one that led to the circumstances of your new 'daughter' will become unthinkable horrors, rather than accepted occurrences.

Vivienne shook her head briefly. "Hold on, how do you know I'm a hybrid? No, what do you know about Yvette?"

Alan sighed before briefly shifting his gaze to the ground. "You're an assertive woman, miss Nuage. Because of this, it's better for you to not know of Yvette troubled past. All you need to know is that not everyone is as 'assertive' as you, and that a change of heart can happen to anyone, in any moment. I'd like for you to remember that as you adjust to your new neighbourhood. I'll be glad to assist you in finding a new home. You'll find that my number is already on your phone. Have a good day."

"Who was that, Vivienne?"

The Wyvern sat on the couch, exhausted by the words she had just heard from Alan. "Someone from the Hunter Corp. I. I'm sorry Adie."

Worry began to creep on Adelheid's face. "...Why?"

"The good news is that we can keep Seung-yeon and Yvette. The bad news is... We need to move to a hybrid neighbourhood."

The blonde girl's face turned deadly pale. "What."

"I'm sorry. The man said he'll help us with it. I'm sorry Adie."

"Does this mean I don't have to see my parents again?"

A soft smile managed to shine through Adelheid's worries. "Yes sweetie, that's right."

"Does this mean I'll get to see my mom again?"

Adelheid seemed to be close to saying something, but Vivienne sharply cut in. "No, Yvette. I'm sorry. You'll be staying with us. Listen, me and Adie need to talk, in private. Then we'll talk with you two. Yvette, please, don't jump onto Seung-yeon. If you like her, then you'll have to do like everyone else does and win over her heart romantically. Seung-yeon... Get her some clothes, please. Got it, both of you?"

The kids nodded. Vivienne then dragged Adelheid into the bedroom to talk far away from the children's tiny ears.

"Vivienne, I just, I can't do this, taking you in was already a lot, and then Seung-yeon, and now Yvette, and moving elsewhere, all this for the foreseeable future. I just-"

"Adelheid." Tears started forming in Vivienne's eyes. "Adie. I'm sorry. But please. We can't leave those kids alone. You've seen how Seung-yeon's parents treat her. She's so malnourished she looks 5 years younger than she is. And Yvette... I don't know much, but the little that man told me... It's a miracle she's even still alive. She doesn't even have anyone to go to. Call it instincts. Call it instincts of a wild animal that wants to pretend to be human like you. Call it desperation to be loved, desperation of someone that's never gotten loved or gotten to love. Call it anything. Do anything to me. But please, I beg you, let me and the kids stay with you. Don't do it for me. Do it for them."

Adelheid remained shocked for a few seconds. "Viv... I..." Tears began streaming down her face as well. "Okay." Her arms suddenly wrapped around Vivienne, almost of her own volition. "Okay, I'll do this. Can I ask for just one thing?"

"Anything."

"Can I kiss you?"